Ben Hostetler
The University of Wyoming College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources
will facilitate a Ranch Management and Agricultural Leadership (RMAL) seminar about
running a successful family-operated business.
The event, which is the second of UW’s 2026 RMAL series, will take place Thursday,
Feb. 26, from 5-7 p.m. in Room 1032 of UW’s Agriculture Building.
The seminar series allows students, entrepreneurs and agricultural professionals to
connect with one another and learn from experts in the industry. All sessions are
free and open to the public.
The upcoming seminar, titled “Spinning a Business Out of a Hobby,” will be delivered
by Ben Hostetler, operations manager of Mountain Meadow Wool (MMW) in Buffalo. MMW
uses wool from U.S. producers to create high-quality yarn, blankets and apparel.
Hostetler will share the story of how his mother’s knitting hobby has become the largest
full-service wool mill in the West. Full-service mills take raw wool and transform
it into finished products.
“This seminar should be of particular interest to anyone in the sheep, wool or textile
industries,” says Randall Violett, associate director of RMAL.
Community members can register for the event here. Each session is livestreamed and recorded via Zoom for participants who cannot attend
in person. Registered participants will receive a Zoom link for the session for which
they signed up.
Following the session Feb. 26, UW will host two additional seminars this spring, available
in person and via Zoom. Topics, speakers and dates are below. For more information,
visit www.uwyo.edu/uwag/rmal/ranching-in-the-west-seminar-series.html.
-- Ike Eastman, president and CEO of Eastmans’ Hunting Journal, will present “Journaling
the Outdoors: Wildlife Entrepreneurs,” Thursday, March 26, 5-7 p.m., in the UW Agriculture
Building.
-- The Rocky Mountain Land and Resource Management Conference is scheduled Wednesday,
April 15, 8:15 a.m.-5 p.m., in the UW Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center, located at
222 S. 22nd St. in Laramie.
For questions, email Violett at rviolett@uwyo.edu or call (307) 766-4239.
About the UW College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources
The University of Wyoming College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources
serves students and communities through innovative scholarship, research and outreach.
Guided by the land-grant principles of discovery and experiential learning, the college
facilitates meaningful educational opportunities in the classroom, laboratory and
community.
The college offers degrees in the departments of agricultural and applied economics, animal science, botany, ecosystem science and management, family and consumer sciences, molecular biology, plant sciences, veterinary sciences, and zoology and physiology. The college also offers degree programs in agricultural communications, microbiology, and ranch management and agricultural leadership. To learn more, visit www.uwyo.edu/uwag or call (307) 766-4133.
